Machine for gathering signatures.



n6. 7|5,s72. Patented Dec. I6, 1902.

. n. L. ROBERTS.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

(Application filed Sept. 28 1901.) (No Model.) 7 Shaets-$heat I.

Wi /265665. [727672 tor,

M EU law (Z; M

uz uonms PETERS cu, vkomumu. wAsnmnTnm o. c.

' Patented Dec. I6, I902. H. L. ROBERTS. MACHINE FOR GATHERINGSIGNATUBES.

I (Application filed Sept. 28, 1901.)

7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

wizzessesx diff No. 7l5,872.

Patented Dec; l6 H. L. ROBERTS.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

(Appliation filed Sept. 28. 1901.!

7 Sheets-Sheet 3 No Model.)

172 #822 to): xmlog 4 M ifi frzssesi No. 7l5,872.' Patented Dec. l6, I902.

H. L. ROBERTS.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

(Application filed Sept. 28, 1901.)

7 Sheds-Shea: 4.

(No Model.)

W292 essesf M 6M 6%,.

rue Nbnms FEYEHS co. mo'rouwa, WASHFNG'JJP" o c No. 7l5,872.

I Patented Dec. "5,1902. n. L. ROBERTS.

MACHINE FOR GATHERINGSIGNATUBES.

(Application filed Sept. 28, 1901.\

(No Modal.)

7 Sheets-Sheet 5.

THE norms PETERS co. wHomLn-m wmuwmmy. o'c.

Patented lieu. l6, I902.

H. L rRUBERTS. MACHINE FOR GATHEBING SIGNATURE S.

v (Application filad Sept. 28, 1901. (No llodal.) 7 Sheets- 8M 6.

I ,7 6 7. 1/ 40 e /e 5%" 6 5 :3 2 6a i; m L

m: "cams PETERS o0, PHOTOLITMQ. WASHINGYOM n. c

No; 7l5.872. Patented. Dec. I6. I902.

' v H. L. ROBERTS. I

MACHINE FUR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

lApplicaQion med Sept. 25. 1901.)

7 Sheets-Sheet 7.

(No Nodal.)

w: scams PETERS cu. mow-unio. WASHING'TQN,

' oscillating grippers.

UNITED STATES HORACE L. ROBERTS,

PATENT @Fricir.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.-

MACHINE- FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

' SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 715,872, dated December 16, 1902.

Application filed September 28, 1901. Serial No. 76,820. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE L. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city,county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Gathering Signatures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for rapidly and accurately collecting signatures, forms, or sheets. The machine is provided with oscillating needles that are thrust into the foremost signatures and deliver them to These grippers in turn drop the signatures upon the collecting-table. Should any of the grippers fail to receive a signature, the machine is at once antomatically stopped and the absence of the signature indicated, allowing the same to be replaced, thus making it impossible to gather an imperfect book.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a plan; Fig. 3, an end view; Fig. 4, a detail showing the upper gripper and needle-bar mechanism; Fig. 5, a detail plan of part of the tripping mechanism; Fig. 6, a section on line 6 6,Fig. 5; Fig. 7 a side view of the gripper; Fig. 8, a plan of the same; Fig. 9, a side view of the needle-bar and holder; Fig. 10, a front view of the same; Fig. 11, a detail of the needle-bar; Fig. 12, a detailof the lever i Fig. 13, a detail of the upper trip-lever; Fig. 14:, a detail of the lower trip-lever, and Fig. 15 a detail of the trip-toe 2' Fig. 16, a

detail of the mechanism for actuating the needle-bar; Fig. 17, a rear View of the needle-bar and holder; and Fig. 18, a section on line 18 18, Fig. 17. Fig. 19 is a detail showing the mounting of hollow shaft 01.

The letter or represents the frame of the machine, to which are fitted two series of boxes I), placed in two parallel rows one above the other. Each of the boxes I), containing the signatures A, that stand vertically, is composed of two sides, that diverge from a lower right angle, and is designed to deliver one particular signature to the collecting mechanism. By making the box V-shaped each box can receive and will properly deliver signatures of difierent sizes. The boxes I) are placed in an inclined position from front to rear and are supported in front by brackets Z9 on shaftfand at the back by anglebrackets I), connected to bar Z2 of uprights b. Each box has a longitudinal slot 1) in one of its sides and near its lower angle, through which projects the endless feed-chain b running over front chain-wheel b fast on shaft 19 and over rear chain-wheel b, attached to the tension-slide b. The shafts b of the upper and lower rows of boxes I), carry the chain-wheels b engaged by chain 19 so that the motion of the lower shaft 11 is transmitted to the upper shaft 19 The lower shaft 17 is provided with ratchet-wheel b which receives intermittent motion from countershaft 0, as follows:

The shaft 0 turns by gearing c c a shaft 0 having cam 0 which oscillates a cam-lever c ,turning on lower shaft b and having pawl b, that engages the ratchet I)". of the mechanism described intermittent motion is imparted to the feed-chains b soas to gradually advance the signatures within the boxes I).

The foremost signature A is engaged by a needle d and delivered by it to a gripper B, which in turn transfers it to the collecting mechanism. The needle (1 is carried by the needle-bar d. A guide or holder d of the needle-bar is mounted upon a' hollow shaft d, which embraces a rock-shaft d Shaft (1 receives motion from a cam by a double lever (1 engaged by this cam, connection d and lever (1*. The hollow shaft (1 is embraced by a strap 01 of the needle-bar holder The strap d and also the hollow shaft (1 have an opening on their rear side in the middle of the strap, which opening is formed by removing a segment of such a size that the surface of shaft 01 is exposed. Within these openings the needle-bar d is movably attached to the shaft d by screw (1 so that the needle-bar is able to yield at the motion of shafts d d. The opening is elongated upon the rear side of the needle-bar holder 01 to form .a groove, in which the needlebar is adapted to slide. This movement along the needle-bar holder is limited by a screw (Z fastened to the needle-bar holder d and engaging an elongated slot d of the needle-bar d, said screw serving to keep the needle-bar and the needle-bar holder together.

By means The hollow shaft (7. is supported by bearings that form boxes (1 adapted to slide in suitable rectangular openings of the frame a. The hollow shaft (1 is provided with toothed sectors (Z engaging racks d, which are attached to the frame a of the machine.

In order to insure a positive movement of the hollow shaft (1, it is engaged by a friction-brake 0, which is held in position by a tail or projection 0 sliding in a lug 0 of the frame a.

The motion of the needle-bar is as follows: At the end of the backward motion of shaft d the needle (1 contacts with the foremost signature A. The shaft 61 then turns forward and causes the needle-bar to be moved downward along its holder (5 said holder lieing held in position by brake 0, so that the needle enters the foremost signature near its lower edge. This downward motion of the needle d stops when the screw (1 bears against the end of slot d", and in this way the further forward motion of shaft (1 causes a forward rotation of the needle-bar and the needle-bar holder to take the signature along and deliver it to the gripper. The shaft (Z will then turn backward to first withdraw the needle d from the signature, while the needle-bar is held in position by friction-brake 0'. When the screw (1 bears against the upper end of slot d", the needle-bar holder, with the needle-bar, swings backward to engage the next signature. By means of the toothed sectors d and racks (Z the shaft (i together with sleeve (1 and needle-bar (1, will rise while they swing forward and they are lowered when they swing backward. Consequently the radial distance between the shaft and the point where the needle attacks the paper remains uniform and any tearing of the paper during the forward swinging of the needle-bar is avoided.

In order to avoid an excessive pressure of the pile of signatures against the foremost signature, which is to be drawn off by the gripper B, and thus to prevent injury to the paper, a rock-shaft g, driven from cam c by connections g g g ,is arranged above the rockshaft d and above the boxes I). The shaft g carries within each box and near the sides of the box two fingers g, which constitute abutments, against which the pile of signatures rests. Immediately before the foremost signature is to be drawn ofi-t'. e. after the lower end of said signature has been swung forward to meet the gripper-the fingers turn backward and then at once forward to release the front signature from the pile, which remains behind by reason of friction.

Below the forward ends of the boxes 1) extendsarock-shaftf, that receives motion from cam c by connections f f f Upon this shaft is mounted for each box I) a finger f, adapted to engage the lower edges of the signatures and forming a bottom abutment for the same. This finger swings downward when the needle-bar swings forward and then swings up to hold back all the signatures with the exception of the first detached signature.

The gripper B is composed of a relatively fixed jaw e and a relatively movable jaw e of which jaw e is by a split collar a secured to hollow and slotted shaft e This "shaft rocks in bearings e and is engaged by a friction-band c which has for its object to aid in holding the jaws in their open or closed position. The slide a bearing the jaw 6 is connected by link 2 and stud e to a rockshaft 6 rotatable within the hollow shaft e. The opening between the jaws e e is adjustable by means of the slide a", screw (2 and nut a, so as to adapt the machine to thicker or thinner signatures. The rock-shaft e is operated from cam c by connections e e e and is so timed that it swings backward while the shaft d swings forward, so that the gripper receives the detached signature from the needle. The gripper then swings forward and after arriving at its extreme forward position, Fig. 3, the solid shaft 6 reverses its motion, while the friction-band 6 holds the hollow shaft e at a standstill in order to open the jaw and to drop the signature.

This signature drops upon an upper trough or inclined table 71, having a longitudinal slot h, through which project a number of feedfingers 7L2. The fingers 71, are attached to a feed-chain 7L3, running over chain-sprocket 71.", fast on shaft IE8, and over chain-sprocket 71, attached to the tension-slide h". The upper run of the chain is supported by the guiderail h Shaft 71 receives motion from counter-shaft c by miter-gear c h. In the normal operation of the machine the fingers 7L2 cause the signatures from the various boxes to be superposed in the usual manner and to be dropped upon a packing table or trough k. Should, however, a gripper miss its signature, the machine will be instantly arrested by means of a tripping mechanism, so that imperfect collections will be prevented. This tripping mechanism is constructed as follows: Along the table h extends a shaft 7;, adapted to turn in its bearings. Upon this shaft are loosely mounted the angular upper trippinglevers, having an upper arm i andalower arm t". The upper approximately upright leverarm "6 is placed in proximity to each of the grippers B of the upper row of boxes b,while a springt' engaging the lower arm, normally throws the upper arm backward. Near its angle the lever 7; 1' is provided with a locking-lug i engaging a corresponding notch 11 of a lower angular tripping-lever t 2'. This lower lever is normally retracted by a spring i. The upwardly-projecting arm 11 of the lower lever is shorter than the upright arm 2'" of lever z" 2' and is placed in proximity to each of the grippers B of the lower row of boxes I). The lower arm 2' of lever t 2' constitutes a slide and is connected by pin 6 with a lever 2' pivoted to the table at t, Fig. 5. Upon lever 17 is mounted a trip-toe 1' having a notch '6 that is engaged by lever i a separate lever i and trip-toe i being provided for each pair of boxes. The free end of'toe 11 projects across the path of the fingers 7L unless the lever-arms 6 are carried forward by signatures held by the grippers B. When the grippers run empty and the levers are not carried forward, the fingers It will engage the toe 2' and will move it along a short distance. To the toet' l is secured a shifter-bar i, which by link 13 is connected to a shifterbar 1? which operates a clutch m by means of lever 'm', having handle m and by shaft course be retracted, so as to clear the path of fingers 71 This is effected by reversing the machine and unlocking the toe from the finger by means of a hand-levert' fast on shaft 1'. To shaft 1' is secured by screw "6 a lever having projection 1', adapted to bear upon lower end of lever-arm 2' and thus swing said arm forward. To the shaft 2' is also connected a pin W, adapted to engage a notch 2' of slide Thus as the shaft 4 is turned forward by handle .the lever-arms 11 6 are carried forward, so as to Withdraw toe 2' by lever '6 such operation being the same as is normally performed by the signatures.

The table it is provided at its end with an incline or bevel h, having a pilot h which is curved at the top and perpendicular at the bottom, the curved portion of the pilot projecting over the bevel h. The pilot serves for conveying the books to the lower packing table or trough is. Here the gathered books are pushed forward by a plunger which receives motion from cam 0 and by cam-1ever k turning on fulcrum 76*.

In order to prevent the gathered books when pushed forward from falling backward when the plunger recedes, I provide a spring-stop Z and a pair of spring-stops 70 These stops will yield when the plunger 70 pushes forward one book, so as to permit the same to pass, and will then retract to prevent the liberated book from falling back.

The operation is as follows: The shaft (Z rocks backward and is lowered to swing the needle-bar cl against the foremost signature and to then thrust the needle into such signature. The shaft then rocks forward and is raised to swing the needle-bar, together with the signature,forward. When theneedlebar has reached its foremost position, the gripper B has reached its rearmost position, with its open jaws directly below the signature, Fig. 4. The needle is now withdrawn and the gripper closes upon the lower edge of the sheet. After the sheet has been thus transferred the needle-bar swings backward them to the table or trough k.

against the pile of signatures, while the gripper swings forward to convey the separated signature to a point above the table It. The gripper now opens and the sheet is dropped upon the table, after which the gripper swings back to receive the next sheet. The signatures dropped upon the table 71 will be bunched and carried along by the fingers 7&2 in the usual manner and will be delivered by The upper signatures on being carried along by the upper series of grippers will first tilt the leverarms t", which are placed in the path of such signatures, and will thus withdraw lug 2' from recess 2' to liberate levert' t The lower signatures will then move forward the leverarms 12 which are placed in their path, and will consequently draw the slides forward. Thus only when both tripping-levers are actuated by the signatures will the slides t be withdrawn to Withdraw the toes t from the path of the fingers 77. In this Way the machine will be continuously operated. Should, however, one of the boxes I) be empty or should any one of the grippers fail to receive a sheet from the needle-bar then either leverarm 1)" or 2' will not be carried outward, but will remain in its position of rest. Consequently the slide 11 will not become retracted and the toe 1' will remain across the path of fingers 77/ In this way the toe will by the mechanism described open the clutch m and will immediately arrest the machine. The operator has'thus an opportunity to replace the missing signature at the place indicated by the empty gripper, after which the leverarms i and 2' are moved out by handle 45 and the clutch is closed by handle m to restart the machine.

What I claim is- 1. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a rock-shaft with a needlebar, means for movably attaching the needlebar to the rock-shaft, a tubular shaft embracing the rock-shaft, a grooved guide engaging the needle-bar, and means for connecting said guide to the tubular shaft, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a box adapted to receive the signatures, with a rock-shaft g,.above the same, fingers g, on said rock-shaft, asecond rock-shaft f, below the box, and fingers f, on said second rock-shaft, the fingers g,f, being adapted to engage the top and bottom of the front signature, substantially as specified.

3. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a rock-shaft with a needlebar, means for movably attaching the needlebar to the rock-shaft, a tubular shaft embracing the rock-shaft, and a grooved guide e11- gaging the needle-bar and having a slotted strap that embraces the tubular shaft, substantially as specified.

4. In a machine-for gathering signatures, the combination of a rock-shaft with a sur- &

rounding hollow shaft, means for raising and lowering the shafts, a needle-bar guide mounted upon the hollow shaft, and a needle-bar movably attached to the rock-shaft, substantially as specified.

5. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a rock-shaft, with a gripper-jaw mounted upon the rock-shaft, a hollow shaft surrounding the rock-shaft, a gripper-jaw connected to the hollow shaft, and a friction-band attached to the frame of the machine and embracing said hollow shaft, substantially as specified.

6. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a gripper adapted to engage a signature, with movable fingers adapted to collect the signatures, a toe arranged in the path of said fingers, and means actuated by the signature for withdrawing said too from said path, substantially as specified.

7. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a gripper adapted to engage a signature, with a trip-lever arranged in the path of the signature, a toe operatively connected to said lever, fingers adapted to engage said too, and a clutch operatively connected to said toe, substantially as specified.

8. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of a gripper adapted to engage a signature, with a trip-lever arranged in the path of the signature, a slide operated by the lever, a toe operated by the slide, fingers adapted to engage the toe, and a clutch operatively connected to the toe, substantially as specified.

9. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of an upper and a lower gripper, with an upper and a lower trip-lever, a toe adapted to be actuated by said trip-lever, fingers adapted to engage the toe, and a clutch operatively connected to the toe, substantially as specified.

10. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of an upper and a lower gripper, with an upper and a lower trip-lever, means for interlocking said levers, a slide secured to one of said levers, a toe operatively connected to said slide, a finger adapted to engage the toe, and a clutch operatively connected to the toe, substantially as specified.

11. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of an oscillating needle-bar, with an oscillating gripper, a series of fingers, a trip-lever arranged in the path of the signature, a toe arranged in the pat-h of the fingers, a clutch, means operatively connecting the trip-lever to the toe, and means operatively connecting the toe to the clutch, substantially as specified.

12. In a machine for gathering signatures, the combination of an upper and a lower box, with a pair of oscillating needle-bars, a pair of oscillating grippers, an upper and a lower trip-lever, a toe adapted to be actuated by said levers, and a clutch operatively connected to said toe, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, county and State of New York, this 27th day of September, 1901.

HORACE L. ROB ERTS.

Witnesses:

F. v. BRIESEN, EDW. RAY. 

